


yellow lights

by goreyer



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Mentions a crash, like little specks of it, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24224488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goreyer/pseuds/goreyer
Summary: When Max looked at Daniel, he saw yellow. Not because he was often dressed in the yellow of Renault or driving in a yellow car on track, but because everything Daniel embodied was yellow. He could almost visibly see the aura of a warm yellow around the other man, could almost reach out and touch it and bask in the warmth like it was the rays of the sun.
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	yellow lights

When Max looked at Daniel, he saw yellow. Not because he was often dressed in the yellow of Renault or driving in a yellow car on track, but because everything Daniel embodied was yellow. He could almost visibly see the aura of a warm yellow around the other man, could almost reach out and touch it and bask in the warmth like it was the rays of the sun.

He saw yellow lights in Daniel’s smile, glimmering and sparkling at every moment. It blinded him with its sincerity and intensity, but like a child he was simply too intrigued to look away. There was just something so gratifying about seeing it, so much so that Max found himself seeking it out in his darkest moments, wishing for a way to brighten up his pitch black head when everything became a little bit too much - when his father pushed him that tad bit too far or when the car failed him one too many times. Daniel’s smile never faltered; it was a constant, an inevitability, a yellow light that was forever switched on whenever Max needed it. It was the only thing he could be sure of. His father would be unpredictable, loving him one minute and hating him the next and his car even more so, but the brightness of Daniel’s smile fought each and every dark thought away like light chasing away a shadow.

He saw yellow lights in how Daniel treated him. It was never the red light of stopping without trying, but also never the green light of going without thinking. It was a yellow light of confirmation and patience. Is this okay? Are you sure? Do you need anything? Never rushing in until their heads got pulled under, because Daniel was happy to wait. He would sit at the yellow light until Max was certain, not simply stepping on the gas and moving through into potential danger. Perhaps the yellow light would turn green eventually, when they grew old together and Max no longer had worries about all of the little things in life, but he was content to wait at the yellow light with Daniel by his side for that moment.

He saw yellow lights in Daniel’s personality, and how it captivated the attention of others. His laughs were jolly and shone a neon yellow, but Max’s favourite was the deep sunset yellow when he and Daniel were tucked up together in their apartment, watching a tv show neither really cared about, but put up with for the sake of having an excuse to be in each others company. Daniel would mumble about nothing in particular, voice deep and yet still soft which warmed Max through and suddenly the yellows of the sunset would make their way into their living room by way of Daniel’s calmness and easy-going nature. It was like a masterpiece being painted before his very eyes.

He saw yellow lights in the way Daniel loved him. How their love was happy, because that’s all Max wanted to be. He not only wanted them to be lovers, but also friends, so that Daniel could be his shoulder to cry on and not just the owner of the other half of their bed. And each time Daniel said he loved him, Max felt like a candle was being lit in his chest, and he could almost feel the fiery yellow making its way through his body and burning him in the best way possible. The yellow candlelight was a constant reminder of Daniel’s affections and fought away the darkness that tried to blow away its flame, and yet even if it managed to, Daniel was there with his match in the form of three words. 

He saw the yellow lights before his race engineer had the chance to say it; accompanied with yellow flags it was fairly hard to miss. He dutifully slowed down, knowing the safety car would benefit him greatly, closing up the gap between him and Lewis in first place who was on considerably older tires. He should’ve been thankful for the flashing yellow lights. But when he saw they were signalling the crash of a yellow car, Max felt his stomach drop. The ‘3’ on the front was unmistakable. The brightly coloured helmet could only belong to one person. And that person wasn’t moving amongst the debris of his wrecked car. He only caught a glimpse before the yellow was out of sight and they were back to driving around the circuit, Max fighting against his common sense that was trying to stop him from turning the car around and speeding back to Daniel.

He saw the yellow lights of Daniel’s smile and personality behind his eyes when he blinked and felt the yellow lights of the way Daniel treated him and loved him deep in his chest all at once, until he was overcome with the colour and could almost sense it oozing out of his veins. He needed to see those yellow lights again, not the ones that were flashing garishly across the perimeter of the track. Those made him feel so violently sick it was a struggle to swallow against the vomit. 

He saw red lights, and all the yellow dissipated into black.

**Author's Note:**

> Never really written an ending like this cuz i usually don’t like reading sad fics, but yeahhhh I guess this just sort of happened?
> 
> In my world Daniel definitely doesn’t die in this crash, so I hope that makes you feel better <3


End file.
